Only One
by Phoenix Lord
Summary: The tactician thought that he was the only one capable of his job. Unfortunately for him, a new figure bursts his bubble.
1. The Good or The Bad or The Ugly News

Recent AN: AN: This is just to tell people that I once again proof read my story and found some grammar mistakes. I corrected them just because I wanted to and axed out some asides, but the story remains unchanged. It goes to show you: Always proof read. Now stay tune as I ignore that advice and make the same mistakes. Sigh…

AN: "He's back again and about time to and this time he's in the mood!" Uh, yeah, something like that. If you guys thought I'm finished with Fire Emblem, here's proof that I'm not. And if you want to know where I got that horrible phrase above, it's the DK rap Diddy Kong chorus that appeared in Donkey Kong 64 and Super Smash Brothers Melee.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem from now till the end of time!

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Ch. 1 The Good or the Bad or the Ugly News

--

Mech the famous tactician was outside of his tent studying his map and racking his brain for some strategies. Everyone was surprised to see him working outside since he was usually inside his tent where they could hear him murmuring and muttering darkly like a depressed, suicidal soul or laughing crazily like an insane madman.

"You must be in a good mood today, Mech," Lyn or Lyndis as she was sometimes referred to, a young woman from the Lorca tribe and heir to Caelin, remarked.

"I should be!" Mech told her, "We just won a battle without having to restart battle strategies because someone caused a big mistake."

"Then shouldn't you be in your tent laughing like someone who has gone mad?" Lyn inquired.

"I...do that?" Mech was surprised.

"Sure you do!" came a cheerful voice from a bush.

"Matthew, if you want to be in this conversation, please step forward," Mech ordered.

"No can do. I must present the image of secrecy," Matthew's voice explained.

Mech picked up a Fire tome that he was learning from Erk, and since he was still learning, he threw the tome into Matthew's general direction. Matthew dodged, not because Mech's hit rating was still in single digits, but because it was easy to see the book coming. However, it served Mech's purpose of bringing the blonde haired thief out of the bushes.

"Oh the sun! The sun burns my skin!" Matthew cried. He dramatized melting into the ground and lied there for a bit.

"Alright, play time's over," Mech informed Matthew. He nudged him with his toe, "Get up before I tell Guy that you melted and the contract between you and him is off."

"What? How did you know about that?" Matthew demanded, "No one knows about that except Guy and I."

"Didn't I tell you? I was a thief before I became a tactician! I know every trick in the book and invented some more," Mech boasted. Matthew and Lyn gave him a cynical look.

"Alright, alright, I heard Guy screaming and cursing, with some unique phrases since he was from Sacae, about some contract and about you," Mech answered truthfully.

"Mech!" Hector, the lord of Ostia, strode gallantly toward the tactician. Mech noticed that Lyn was flushing red and she was studying her hands like a shy girl. He knew that something was going on between Hector and Lyn.

"What now, Hector?" Mech demanded.

"Someone wants to join our group and you're not going to like what he does," Hector informed him.

"Ah, a loony swordsman like Karel?" Mech guessed.

Hector shook his head, "Even better."

"Even better? Uh, an anti-social assassin like Jaffar?"

"Better."

"A Hero bent on revenge like Raven?"

"No."

"Oh, I know: a tactician who knows flawless strategies!" Mech joked. Mech laughed at his own joke.

"Yup," Hector confirmed.

Mech continued to laugh before what Hector said registered into his brain. Then he started choking. He fell to the ground and twitched a bit then lied very still. The three people stared at Mech's limp from.

"Oh my Elimine! I think you killed him, Hector!" Lyn shrieked.

"C-calm down, my lady," Matthew advised, "All we need to do is find a healer and that will be that."

With a unanimous agreement, the three went off to find a healer. As Mech's life was ticking away, two Falcoknights were heading toward the tactician's tent.

"I do not think he would agree with this strategy, Florina," Fiora, the teal haired older sister, informed the purple-haired younger sister, "Most likely he would say that we mercenaries are only useful in fighting. Not thinking about strategies."

Florina wasn't listening but was watching a strange lump lying outside the tactician's tent. When she saw that it was a body, she screamed.

"Florina, what is it?" Fiora snapped as she quickly readied her Silver Spear.

Florina could not speak but only pointed at the body. Fiora immediately recognized the tactician lying there. Fiora bolted over and checked his vitals.

"He's still alive, but barely. What should we do? We can't fight without our tactician to guide us," Fiora said.

"Um, I think that at times like this, Mech told us to do...CPR," Florina squeaked.

Both sisters remembered the lesson. Since Mech did not want anyone to be traumatized by the doing the activity of the lesson, Mech brought the big box and two smaller boxes called a "VCR" and "video tape." On tape showed two people kissing by a sea of water.

_Mech's eyes twitched as the tape finished running. _

"_Are there any questions?" he managed to grit out. _

"_So CPR is like the 'French kiss'?" Serra asked. She gave a seductive look in Erk's direction. "Oh, Erky, let's do CPR!" she announced. Before Erk could run, Serra jumped him and pressed her lips against his. _

"_Is this something that should be shown in this army?" Eliwood asked with a disapproving look at Mech. _

"_No, it's NOT KISSING!" Mech yelled mainly to Erk and Serra. _

"_CPR is used mostly to help people breath when they're not breathing," Mech continued in his college professor tone of voice. _

_Of course, no one heard him since they were running away from the members of the opposite sex (except for Sain, Serra, and Erk (who had no choice))._

Fiora shivered at the memory of the lesson.

"…Who should do it?" Fiora asked.

The question was obviously rhetorical since Florina was already running in the opposite direction. Fiora looked down at Mech, a sense of dread squeezing her throat.

"My sacrifice is small compared to the benefits of the army," she whispered. She opened Mech's mouth then placed her mouth on top of his. When Mech felt their lips meet, he felt his life instantly returning.

"Ummf!" he managed to get out in shock. Hearing and feeling that he was conscious, Fiora quickly pulled away and was bright red.

"I-I have to g-g-go now!" she stammered. Like a bolt of lightning, she zipped to another direction.

"Just like Florina. Wonder what that was all about?" Mech muttered as he wiped his mouth.

"MEEEEEECH!" someone roared. Someone in RED ARMOR. Someone in red armor with a wicked KILLER LANCE in his hand. Someone in red armor with a Killer Lance with an EVIL EXPRESSION on his face.

"Uh, hiya Kent! Nice weather today, huh?" Mech asked. Once again the sky darkened and a cold wind blew across the field, 'Not again!'

"What were you moves were you pulling on Fiora?" Kent demanded darkly.

"Nothing! She just saw that I had trouble breathing! She was supposed to do the heimerick...uh, the himric, no wait the haystack maneuver? Fine, whatever, the technique was used on a choking person. She mixed that up with CPR," Mech rambled.

Hearing the letters C, P, and R together made Kent's eyes twitch like crazy.

"You were doing the French Kiss with her?" Kent roared. Without waiting for a reply, Kent entered his critical mode

"No wait, IT"S JUST A BIG MISUNDERSTANDING!" Mech screamed as he ran from the crazed Paladin.

On the other side of the area, two figures watched as the one figure in brown robes was being chased by a figure in red armor on a horse.

"Amazing that he could outrace a horse," Eliwood, the red-haired lord of Pharae commented before returning his attention to the figure next to him, "I apologize but it seems our current tactician is not able to meet with you at the moment, Sir...?"

The person gave Eliwood a confident smile as he lazily pushed back his long hair in a non-worried manner. "My name is Lancelot, Mighty Prince Eliwood. I understand how...busy your tactician is at the moment."

Lancelot was almost like Lucius. Almost. His blonde hair was somewhat shorter than Lucius' and he definitely looked more masculine. And he was not frail. The Silver Lance that he had in his hand and a Shine tome that he carried at his side made sure of that. Most of the girls had already fallen for him as he approached them and acquainted himself to them.

"Well, it seems that there is nothing to do here for the moment. May I have your permission to set up camp with your army, Mighty Prince?" Lancelot suggested.

With Eliwood's permission, Lancelot went off to see how "his" troops were doing.

AN: Whew, I'm done. This may be my longest chapter of the whole story, so enjoy it while it lasts (or don't). Please read and review, and don't start trashing me just because Path of Radiance is out (young ones these days, humph!)


	2. Abandoned for the Better

AN: Sorry for the long wait for those of you who actually read my story. I'm trying to make the chapters three pages long, and sometimes ideas just get stuck as you write. You know how it is. Anyway, I have a warning: Kent's going a little crazy in this chapter. Jealousy caused by misunderstandings, tsk, tsk. Also, if anyone noticed, I changed the titles to this story. I found out that there was another story with the same title created early than mine. Teaches me for not reading other people's writings.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem and the materials to build Gundams do not exist, so obviously, I don't own that either.

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Ch. 2 Abandoned for the better

Mech woke up with a pounding headache and burning chest pains. "What happened?" he groaned.

"Thank goodness!" Mech heard someone exclaim. Mech turned his head and saw red-haired Priscilla standing near his bed, "Kent ran you through with his lance and you were losing a lot of blood."

Mech closed his eyes and relived that moment in time. The fanatical look in Kent's eyes, his animalistic roar of anger, screams of pain, fire piercing through his heart, then blackness, it was all coming back to him. He nearly fainted again. Seeing his reaction, Priscilla grabbed her heal staff and used it to keep Mech conscious.

"Thanks, but that wasn't necessary," Mech told her, "I could've woken up some time after I fainted."

"If you did, you wouldn't get to see the new tactician," Pricilla reasoned with him. This time, Mech successfully fainted.

About a few hours or so, the lords decided that they had been waiting for Mech long enough.

"I don't care how much blood he's lost," Hector seethed, "He's coming out here right now so we can fire him."

Making good with his threat, Hector stomped off toward the healer's tent. Despite Priscilla's protests, Hector grabbed Mech's foot and dragged him across the floor toward the center of the camp.

"Ow! That hurt, Hector," Mech grumbled as he rubbed his backside, "There are laws against abusing patients."

"Yeah, yeah," Hector waved him off, "Anyway, I just wanted you to meet your replacement tactician and to see how well he manages the army."

"What? You're actually replacing me?" Mech briefly considered doing puppy dog eyes to gain sympathy then thought better of it. Most likely he would be viewed as a freak and get a punch in a jaw by Hector.

"You called, Grand Master?" a melodious voice called out.

When Mech saw the person who was speaking, it took all his will power not to lunge at the figure and strangle him. Standing before him was Lancelot, holding a rose between his finger and his thumb, and his hair was flowing with the gentle blow of the wind. Everything about him screamed, "Narcissist Pretty Boy!" Mech didn't mind pretty boys, but narcissists are the ones that drove him insane.

"What's this? A morph was infiltrated our camp?" Lancelot readied his spear and struck a gallant pose.

Mech again felt the urge to lunge at the insolent man. This time, he gave in to the temptation. "Why do you people think that? Just because I have black hair and very light brown eyes, that does not mean I'm a Morph!" Mech whipped out his Steel Sword. He slashed at Lancelot who blocked with his Steel Lance (Disregard weapons triangle, please).

"When did Mech ever use a sword?" Lyn asked Hector.

"He's been taking lessons from Guy and Raven. He's not bad, but Lancelot and his spear are a whole lot better," Hector replied.

The army watched as Mech changed styles and attacked with an Elfire (He's angry, so he can use Elfire). Lancelot dodged and used Shine (Again, since they are tacticians, no weapons triangle).

"Ten coins say that Lancelot will win," Farina announced as she slammed her bet in the center of a stump.

"You traitor! 20 on Mech's side," Harken countered as he slammed his bet with Farina's.

Everyone who wanted to earn a little money in a deplorable way or to prove where their loyalties lie also betted in. The pile of gold grew to be around 1000 before an attracted Thunder blasted the gold into ashes.

"MECH!" screeched everyone who betted.

It was no use trying to blame someone else since Mech was the only fighter who was using anima magic.

"Oh snatch!" Mech yelped. He bolted from the fight as Farina and her army of betters tore after Mech.

Lancelot sheathed his spear as the chase began. "So undisciplined," Lancelot commented as he sniffed another rose that he produced from his cloak.

--

It was night by the time those who were sane calmed those who snapped.

"Please remember that Mech has been beaten up enough already," Priscilla pleaded casting a glance to a bound Kent. When Mech was in Kent's sight, he let out a loud, inhuman roar and was struggling viciously against his chains.

"Help me," Mech pleaded as he hid behind Fiora.

That was a big mistake as seeing this gave Kent the strength to break free from his steel chains.

"GROOOOOOOOOARRRR!" Kent roared like a Charizard in Pokemon as he tore toward Mech.

"Ah snatch! St. Elimine, why do you torture me so?" Mech was on the verge of crying as he ran in vain from the insane Kent

--

The next day a warning was given out by a patrolling Farina, "Bandits are coming! Bandits are coming!"

Everyone quickly dropped what they were doing and was getting ready for battle.

"Wait. Our tactician is injured. Who will direct us to our goals during battle?" Eliwood asked.

"What do you mean, 'injured'? Our tactician is right here," Hector declared.

On cue, Lancelot strode gallantly forward with his usual habit of holding a rose, "You called Majestic Majesties?" Upon seeing Lancelot make his grand appearance, the girls were swooning. Sain gave Lancelot an evil look as he readied his lance.

"Bandits are heading toward our camp. We need you to lead our army to victory!" Hector declared.

Lancelot swept his hand toward himself and bowed. "I live to serve your grand purpose, August Lord," Lancelot pledged.

--

Hearing all the commotion, Mech woke up with a groan. "Ah snatch. I am really going to cut Kent's pay for this," he muttered. Looking through the opening of the tent, Mech saw Raven and Lucius rushing past. "What's going on?" Mech wondered.

"Bandits are heading this way," Priscilla informed him.

When he heard of this, Mech struggled up but dropped into bed when he felt a scorching pain at his side. "That's it! I'm through being defenseless! When I see Kent, he is DEAD!" Mech threatened.

"Before you do anything rash again, please rest," Priscilla pleaded. She quickly applied some medicine on Mech's wound.

"Rest? There are bandits coming this way. I need to help the army," Mech insisted as he tried to get up. Someone who he didn't realize was there pushed him back down on the bed.

"That Sain tactician is guiding the army right now. You need to concentrate on getting better," Fiora advised.

"Fiora?" Mech gave her a strange look, "Why are you here?" He gave Priscilla the same look as well, "And why are you here?"

"You are in need of assistance," Priscilla reminded him with touch of annoyance in her voice.

"I did have a part on the events involving Kent recently," Fiora said simply, "It seems that whenever a man converses with me, Kent behaves oddly."

"I agree, but I never seen Kent react this violently with anyone else," Priscilla remarked.

"Yeah, well, Kent misunderstood the interaction between Fiora and me," Mech muttered, "Anyway, I'm okay now, so both of you: to battle! Healers with good movement range are needed and the technique used by the three sisters is very helpful. Don't worry, I won't be moving from this spot, and there's that blasted narcissist taking my job. How come life's so unfair? I work hard; I stayed with this army since before the beginning. Why's Hector so mean? I wish I could blast him, but the survival of the army depends on him…"

--

As Fiora and Priscilla gathered with the other troops, Lancelot spotted them and strode toward them. His emblem, the red rose, was with him as usual.

"The flowers that persevere through the harsh winters," Lancelot greeted them, "You're radiant beauties are the spring sun that warms the snowy grounds."

"MMMMRPH!" Kent tried to roar but could not.

He was gagged and bound by chains made from Gundanium that was given by someone who claimed to be a friend of Mech's. Along with the chains, Kent was boxed in by a transparent block made from bullet proof glass. The box was surrounded by an I-field and planet defensors (Thank goodness for the Gundam Universe).

Sain had a much milder reaction to Lancelot's greeting.

"What is this? How could someone so plain think of something more charming than my lines?" Sain demanded.

"Because you're not as handsome and charming as he is!" the women shouted.

Sain went to the back of the army, hunched down, and began grumbling.

"Now that everyone is here," Lancelot said as he slyly glanced at the two newcomers, "We shall begin our formation. There shall be 13 people in this battle. The great lord Hector shall be stationed in the middle of his magnificent knights."

Hector puffed his chest in pride as he heard Lancelot attach a grand title to his name. If it was Mech it would have been, "Hector, go 135 degrees to your left; Hector, the enemy is 90 degrees to your right, go there and smash him; Hector, are you deaf? I said stay here, not go there!"

If it was a good day: "Great work, Hector. That's showing them who's the boss."

If it was a bad day: "You walking pile of tin cans! Now I have to restart my strategy!"

As Hector was basking his superiority, Lancelot gave his order to the remaining 12 people, "Eight of you will form a box around Grand Master Hector: 2 in front, 2 behind, 2 to his left, 2 to his right. To the remaining four: 1 will go in front and in between the two surrounding Lord Hector."

Florina raised her hand hesitantly, "Y-you want us to form something like a f-flower?"

"Yes, my delicate crystal, just like a flower. Battle formations are like art. To be victorious, you must design a magnificent pattern to dazzle the opposition," Lancelot explained.

The battle began and as time passed, Lancelot also tried different strategies: Star formation, Sun formation, etc. After hours past, Hector's army emerged victorious.

"Haha! How's that for a tactician. He isn't as lazy as that other lad," Hector boasted.

"We certainly sustained less damage than when Mech was ordering us around," Eliwood agreed.

"That was only one battle. I need to see his abilities further before I compare his skill with Mech's," Lyn responded.

"And we will," Hector promised, and to himself he added, "Now to send the former tactician packing. He's no longer needed."


	3. Being Dismissed

AN: Yeah, I'm having a hard time getting rid of Mech. I think I'm so attached to him that I just want to grab some hacking tools and completely wipe him out of the game. But he is "sort of" essential to my story, so he's leaving in this chapter. WARNING! WARNING! Kent is still going crazy and perhaps Ninian will too (although this is temporary).

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.

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Ch. 3 Being Dismissed

Mech woke up the next morning and the first person he saw was Lancelot with his superior smile and with his rose, of course. Usually, Mech could keep his annoyance in check, but since he just woke up, needless to say his instinct got the better of him.

"Narcissists and Kent must DIE!" Mech screamed as he jumped on Lancelot and started a scuffle.

The fight moved out of the tent and off to the side of the camp. Lancelot was calmly dodging blows, determined not to retaliate so that he could prove that he was blameless in the fight and so was in the right. Mech was alternating his punches and kicks and while his speed was below Guy or Karel, it was still nothing to laugh at. Mech managed to do a sweep kick that tripped Lancelot. Lancelot fell to the ground hard and Mech got some free hits against Lancelot. Marcus came around and saw Mech beating up on Lancelot.

"Master Mech! Please calm yourself. This is no way for a tactician in our army to act!" Marcus scolded Mech as he dragged Mech away from Lancelot.

"I'm not your tactician for much longer, so I can do what I want to this job thief," Mech snarled. He struggled wildly against Marcus' grip, determined to give a few more punches to Lancelot.

"Stop this at once, or I will send you over to where Kent is being held," Marcus warned. He thought about the consequences that bringing the two people in together would have around the area, especially since Mech was in a grumpy mood and did not have his caffeine yet, and decided to change his judgment, "Abandoned that plan. You will be forced to listen to Serra's complaints over trival matters."

Mech pondered over his possibilities. Either he could get the satisfaction to ruining Lancelot's majestic face or he could be forced to listen to all that screeching. He decided that his ears were worth more than any amount of pleasure he could receive and allowed Marcus to drag him off.

"You are quite a savage, young one," Lancelot huffed as he dusted the dirt off his radiant white robes.

"Wait 'til you see what I can do with a Killing Edge. I'll show you how savage I can be," Mech promised darkly. He straightened his plain brown robes and stomped off.

"Master Lancelot!" Rebecca called out. She hurried over to Lancelot and helped him up, "Are you injured anywhere? Should I call a healer?"

"I am deeply touched by your concern for my insignificant life, my humble yet radiant Rebecca. My life is nothing when we compare it to the deeds done by this army. You risk your lives to bring peace and harmony to this world, whilst I stand around doing nothing but give out advice to aid you in battle. Such in insignificant role anyone can do, yet you allow me to have such a small privilege," Lancelot sniffed, "No, no crying…I will do my duty and help you to achieve your goals."

Rebecca wrapped her arms around Lancelot and offered a few words of comfort, earning him an envious glare from Wil while Raven was polishing his sword.

As Rebecca went on and on about how awesome Lancelot is, Mech walked across lugging a big sack on his back.

"Where are you going?" Raven asked in a flat, uncaring tone.

"Moving, getting out, leaving, been fired, and all that stuff," Mech answered, "Hector gave me my discharge papers today. Eliwood is going to make the official announcement later on today."

"What? You're leaving? But we need you? Who else is going to be the tactician?" Wil demanded.

Rebecca threw a rock at Wil for being so unobservant toward Lancelot.

"Well, if you have been living in a cave these past few days, Hector can tell you who the new tactician is," Mech said. Mech headed toward the open field and people watched as Mech's figure grew smaller and smaller until he disappeared from their view.

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Eliwood had finished breaking the news to Lucius and had just run into Fiora.

"Fiora, have you heard lately? Mech is no longer our tactician," Eliwood declared, "Lancelot is now our new tactician."

"I suppose that is for the better," Fiora shrugged, "Kent has been aggressive whenever Mech's name is mentioned."

"Speaking of Kent, how is he now?" Eliwood asked.

"GGROOOAAAR!" the familiar inhuman voice howled out.

Turning to the source, Eliwood and Fiora saw a muddy and dirt covered Kent stomping toward them with a Killer Lance in his hand. Kent pointed the lance toward Eliwood.

"Stay away from her!" Kent demanded as he ran toward Eliwood.

"Hold! I was just informing Fiora that Mech is no longer the tactician," Eliwood said.

He stood his ground, believing that Kent would see reason and not strike down a lord. Fortunately for him, Fiora didn't think that highly of Kent at the moment. She tackled Eliwood to the side, forcing Kent to nearly miss Eliwood. Fiora's stunt placed both her and Eliwood in an awkward position. Kent interpreted this the wrong way and with new vigor he went off to crush Eliwood. As Eliwood ran, he partly understood what Mech was going through as he worked with this army.

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Sain trudged toward the impenetrable area since it was his turn to guard his mad partner. If it was somebody else that Sain was supposed to be guarding, he would have maneuvered events to force someone else to do guard duty, but since it was his boon companion, he must do what he can to help Kent recover. Past the barriers and the box, Sain spotted the chains with no one in them. He also spotted a hole that seemed to have been dug in frenzy to freedom. Sain immediately guessed what had happened.

"Kent is loose!" Sain bellowed.

Everyone in the camp immediately gathered over to the spot where Kent was once held.

"We have a person who is mad loose," Lowen declared.

"We need to find him," Marcus agreed, "But how can we do so?"

"Hmm-hmm," Lancelot smiled his all-knowing smile, "If I would guess how Kent would think, he should be near the dignified Fiora."

"And how do we find her?" Farina asked.

Eliwood came running past them, yelling for Kent to stop his insane madness.

"It seems we do not have to look for Fiora anymore," Hector remarked.

Marcus got on his horse and chased after Eliwood and Kent.

"How did we manage to get out of his chains?" Legault asked.

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It was evening time and everyone miraculously managed to capture Kent and reinforced the security around him. Not only was there the constant presence of Gundam defenses, but they donned Kent with a straight jacket used for insane criminals and they assigned three guards to watch over Kent. They also made it a point to knock out Kent periodically.

"I do not think that's going to him down for long," Raven muttered as he reactivated the defenses after he knocked out Kent.

"Okay, Eliwood, why was Kent going all crazy with you? I only saw this type of reaction with Mech," Hector asked.

"Yes, well, I was with Fiora when Kent appeared," Eliwood replied.

"And what were you doing with her?" Hector asked.

"I was just talking with her," Eliwood replied.

"Ah-ha! And what were you talking about? Love? Marriage? Kids?" Hector demanded.

Eliwood realized that Ninian's normally sorrowful red eyes were at the moment burning with jealous fire and that she was about to blow her secret that she was a dragon.

"Nils, lend me your flute," Ninian said in deceptively sweet voice.

Uncertain, Nils slowly held out his flute. Ninian grabbed it and chased after Eliwood, intending to bash it on top of Eliwood's head.

"Ninian, wait! We were not doing anything!" Eliwood pleaded.

The army watched the cat and mouse scene.

"Will she be needing the same treatment as Kent?" Lucius asked.

'My first task will be to install discipline to this army,' Lancelot made a mental note to himself.

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AN: Yeah, after this story I got tired of mentioning the rose with Lancelot. You're smart people; just remember: Lancelot always holds a red rose. Except for when he fights. He isn't that crazy to fight holding a rose.


	4. Schedule

Herald: Hear ye, hear ye. His highness the Phoenix Lord has returned from his trip from the distant land of Reality, bearing important news to this fair land.

Phoenix Lord: Yeah, I know, I know: I need a new Herald.

Herald: I shall now announce the disclaimer. His Highness, the Phoenix Lord does not own the feared Fire Emblem.

Phoenix Lord: GET OUT!

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Ch. 4 Schedule

The first thing Lancelot did now that he was the official tactician of the army was to separate the guys' tents and the girls' tents. Needless to say, some members of the army did not like the arrangement.

"Why must you separate me from such visions of loveliness," Sain complained.

"Hush, as the new tactician I must make sure that the army is properly disciplined so that chaos will not ensue during an emergency," Lancelot soothed.

"Hear, hear," Wallace agreed.

"But what if we need something that only the members of the other side of the camp can provide?" Priscilla asked.

Lancelot looked puzzled for a moment before his expression gave way to shock, "You can't mean--"

Knowing what Lancelot was going to say, Raven stabbed his sword into the ground, causing a little quake to go off.

"She does not think like that!" he snarled, "If you dare suggest such a thing like that about my sister again, I'll slice you into smaller pieces than Karel could manage."

"I apologize. It's just that people do some rather unprincipled things in this life and I do not want the people I am meant to protect to take a wrong turn in life," Lancelot explained, "I know that I will not be able to save you from every horrors of the world, but I want to offer my assistance when I am able to."

Raven growled and while he lowered his sword, he did not put it away.

"It will be fine," Priscilla assured her brother, "He is our tactician. He was every right to be worried about our safety."

Raven still glared at Lancelot, but finally sheathed his sword.

Another arrangement made that day was a new schedule that Lancelot wanted people to strictly follow:

0500-wake up

0600-stretching and push-ups

0700-unarmed combat

0800-breakfast

0900-offense training

1000-defense training

1100-war history

1200-lunch

1300-history of weapons

1400-personal training

1500-order taking

1600-old war stories

1700-running

1800-dodge training

1900-armor and weapon inspection

2000-supper

2100-clean up

2200-break and sleep

"Starting next week, I want everyone to start following this schedule," Lancelot ordered as he handed out the schedule to each member of the army.

"But, what if we fight in battle?" Eliwood asked, "You do not expect us to follow the schedule then, correct?"

"Of course I do! We may skip some activities, but we will follow the schedule according to time," Lancelot huffed.

While 'special' people cheered with the strictness of following schedule, the others groaned and were thinking about mutiny.

"I only jest," Lancelot chuckled, "If there is a battle, the schedule is cancelled."

Now the 'special' people want to strangle Lancelot along with the rest for pulling such an awful joke.

"1…2…3…" Raven counted as he tried to let his anger go.

It was a small technique that he saw Mech use, with the same results. Unable to control his anger, Raven started to lunge at Lancelot but his neck encountered his shirt collar and he began to choke. Holding the back of Raven's shirt collar was Priscilla. After identifying what was choking him, Raven stopped trying to charge after Lancelot and began the breathing exercises again. This time they seem to work and Raven calmed down.

"Better?" Priscilla asked in a motherly tone.

Raven nodded.

"Are they siblings?" Lancelot asked about Raven and Priscilla.

"Don't know," Hector replied, "Sometimes they act like they don't know each other, other times they act like family. I think they're hiding something."

"Perhaps husband and wife?" Lancelot guessed.

"BLASPHEMY!" Lucius roared, "How dare you suggest that Lord Raymond and Lady Priscilla commit such incestuous acts! I mean…perhaps?"

"So they're brother and sister!" Hector realized.

"Oh, wonderful job, Lucius," Raven snarled, "And I told you not to tell anyone I'm related to Priscilla."

"Why doesn't he want anyone to know?" Rebecca whispered to Oswin.

Everyone watched as Raven chased Lucius around, waving his sword.

"Bad family past," Oswin replied.

"Wait, you mean after all this time, Priscilla and Raven were not a couple? You understand that I didn't want to get close to Priscilla because I thought she was seeing someone else?" Guy demanded.

He was determined to walk over to Priscilla and ask her out here and now. Erk stopped him by grabbing his hair and pulling him back.

"I'll be the one to ask her out. After all, my contract with her is still up for a couple more days," Erk retorted.

Guy snagged his hair out of Erk's grasp and strutted over to Priscilla. Not about to concede defeat Erk dashed over to Priscilla. Just when they were a few feet away from her, Raven appeared before them. He had switched his target from Lucius to Guy and Erk when he realized what they were planning on. He brandished his sword that was meant for Lucius.

"Stay away from my sister!" he threatened. His Light Brand was out for the whole world to see.

Unafraid, Guy calmly drew his Killing Edge while Erk opened up an Elfire tome.

Choosing to ignore what was going on, Priscilla headed for the healers' tents and encountered Heath.

"Greetings," she said cheerfully. She noticed that Heath looked a bit gloomy.

"Priscilla, I think Hyperion ate something he wasn't supposed to again," Heath explained.

Both Priscilla and Heath went to where the wyverns were staying.

Back at the center of the camp, Raven was beating up his opponents despite the fact that he was outnumbered 2 to 1. He was going to break a lot of bones before Lancelot stopped the fight. Using the range of his steel lance, he bashed the unbladed end into the three combatants' stomachs, causing them to double over.

"Mech usually…gives us a warning…before doing that," Guy gasped as he held his stomach.

"Yes, well, do I appear to be Mech?" Lancelot asked holding a _white_ rose (notice I said white, not red, RAHAHAHAHA!)

"Listen well. This is supposed to be an army, not a festive gathering. As such I do not want to see intimate relationships or unsupervised sparing with one another in this camp," Lancelot ordered.

"Wha-wha-WHAT!" Farina burst out. If that order was enforced, she wouldn't be able to meet with her gambling groups.

Most people were shocked at the strictness of the order and some were wondering if replacing Mech for Lancelot was such a good idea.

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Phoenix Lord: Alright, I'm finished, and this story is on the second page before I updated (Last I checked anyway.) Now I'm going to do other stuff so wait two more months before the next update.

Herald: And now his highness bids you good day as he returns to the land of Reality to finish his diplomatic business.

Phoenix Lord: …I thought I told you to get out. Where'd you come from anyway?


	5. The Unfair Situation

AN: Yeah, the herald's in retirement right now. I'll let you decide whether or not I should bring him and the office staff back. I know I should be glad to be rid of them, but it gets awfully boring in this lonely office of mine.

I told you it's going to take two months to get this thing updated. My minds slowing down, I tell ya. Anyway, its chapter 3 and there's more to come. Yeah, now I'll run and hide from the maniac with the pitchfork who threatened me to update faster, but I didn't. BYE!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to deal with Fire Emblem.

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Ch. 5 The Unfair Situation

The week for relaxation was up and now Lancelot's rules were enforced with a Tyrant's Staff. Lancelot's first rule, where the men stay away from women, had the strictest enforcing and maybe the most unfair. One time, with his hawk vision, Lancelot caught Sain trying to sneak into the women's side of the camp and cruelly dragged him back to his tent.

"No fair!" Sain whined, "Why must you drag me to be alone like a lone star amongst the moonless night?"

"Rules must be followed, Sir Sain," Lancelot said sagely, "If I must break one of them, many more will follow. That is why I cannot make any exceptions from any of my rules."

"But you go around courting the women!" Sain accused.

"I am a tactician. It is my duty to check on the well being of the members of this army. You are a soldier, which means you must obey the laws of your ruler," Lancelot ordered.

"That is not fair," Sain repeated, "When Mech makes up his rules, he follows them, even though he finds a way skip some of the details."

"Do I appear to be that incompetent knave?" Lancelot huffed. He roughly threw Sain into his tent then went off to woo some of the ladies.

His first victim was Lyn as she was coming back from watching the wind blow across the dark plains.

"The fair maiden of the gentle winds," Lancelot greeted.

"Should it not be 'of the plains,'" Lyn asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It is true that you are from the plains, and the winds blow gently through them. It is the winds that make the grass and trees dance and so you do to my heart," Lancelot poemed.

Lyn preferred Mech's straightforward greetings. It was usually one or two words, then he gets to the point of his conversation, if there was any. Why so many noblewomen fall for such flatteries was something Lyn would not be able to grasp.

"Okay…why are we speaking anyway? Have you not set up a rule where associations between men and women are severely limited?" Lyn asked.

"I must speak to you and the other women. After all, as the tactician, I must ensure the well being of such delicate beauties," Lancelot replied.

"'Delicate'?" Lyn repeated.

She pulled out her Manni Katti, but Lancelot was smart enough to realize that his plan for seducing Lyn was failing terribly and he went off to flirt with some other girl.

Lancelot's rules didn't have negative effects on everyone. Being away from Fiora gave Kent the opportunity to regain his mental position thanks to the group's mental therapists Pent and Canas. Soon Kent was back to his normal disciplined self. Of course, now the Knights of Caelin would have a hard time protecting their liege.

After two weeks of Kent's recovery, Lancelot gathered the troops together for an important announcement.

"Now that the objective has been achieved, I have decided to lax the discipline a bit. The schedule is still up, but now you can associate with one another a little more intimately. Make sure to thank Kent for being able to recover quickly and to Pent and Canas," with that said, Lancelot went off to court his other victims.

"Um, what happened?" Florina asked.

"This is just a guess, but after hearing a few bits from Lancelot's announcement, I believe he planned this to help Kent recover," Canas observed.

Many people began using words that should not have been invented at the time, but they had heard Mech used them plenty of times when he was really, really, really upset.

"Ah well! Fair lady Priscilla. I know a place where we can meet tonight," Sain announced.

"Unfortunately she and I have plans," Lancelot said as he grabbed Sain and dragged him away.

The days and weeks passed, the group started to enjoy having fewer and fewer restrictions placed upon them. However, half of the group was still annoyed by Lancelot's behavior.

Flirting was a minor problem. Even though the girls had to respond less violently to Lancelot's advances, their dealing with Sain helped them to deal with it.

They still had to endure Lancelot's attitude that he was 'second only to Lord Hector' but really 'second to none.'

He preferred elegance over speed, which would cause the battle to draw out longer than necessary and thus tire out those who weren't overly enthusiastic like Karel, maybe Jaffar, Hector, etc.

But the worst torment of all was whenever the group would come near a town and Lancelot ordered them to stay out of the town. There were shouts and protests as members of the army had plans for recreation at the town. Lancelot was firm on that rule and made no compromise on that rule.

That is what had happened on that day. They found another town and Lancelot went off on his own, leaving the rest back at the dismal camp.

Lancelot was sitting in a bar with a small glass of liquor sitting on the table where he was at. Being a 'respectable' person, Lancelot only drunk in moderation. It was against his nature to be drunk. Besides he had something to report to his great leader. Reaching a spot where what he was about to do would not be seen or heard, Lancelot activated an object that should not exist in this timeline.

A screechy, elder voice emerged from the speakers, "Lancelot."

"What is thy bidding, my master?" Lancelot asked in his humbled, revered voice.

"There is a great disturbance in the area," the speaker announced.

"I have seen it."

"We have a new enemy. Mech."

"Yes, my lord."

"He could destroy us."

"He is just a boy. Eliwood can no longer help him."

"The ability is strong in him. Your cousin must not become a proper tactician."

"If he could be turned he would become a powerful ally."

"Yes…yes. He would be a great asset. Can it be done?"

"He will join us or die, my lord."

"Very well. See to it."

With the conversation over, the mysterious speaker cut off the connection. Lancelot put away his communicator, a slight smile playing on his face.

The first part of the plan, where Mech leaves the group, was completed. Now Lancelot will have to send someone to show Mech the Legacy of Darkness that ran through the family. Lancelot laughed the evil laugh that scared the stuffing of the occupants of the bar.

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AN: If you don't recognize where the later scene, then you don't deserve to live in the same Dimension as I do! Be gone! But if you do, you get to read the next chapter of this story for free! What a bargain! You might be wondering where the plot change/mood change came from. I was reading Star Wars all day again. Blame George Lucas! No wait, shower him with gifts and praises! Wait, he made Episodes I-III a mushy love story. But he made Episodes IV-VI! But he replaced the X-Wing with the Naboo Fighter. But he made Lighsabers look cool! ACK! This is a Fire Emblem section, not Star Wars! Further disclaimer: I'm not George Lucas, so I don't own those quotes from Star Wars. And I think I should keep running from pitchfork man…


	6. Divided We Fall

AN: Okay, I have the main action down, but the problem is how do I get the story to connect those actions. That's why I keep getting writer's block. Well, this story isn't dead yet so keep looking.

Disclaimer: No rights to Fire Emblem

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Ch. 6 "Divided We Fall"

While Lancelot was enjoying food and company in the town, the rest met up for dinner at the dinner tent that Mech left as a 'gift.' Truth be told, he forgotten to pack that up, but even if he could, it would have been too big to carry. So it was left behind so that others could use it as a meeting place at dinner.

Florina was sitting at the table with the rest of the group. As she always did around this time, Florina began remembering what it was like in the past, when Mech was the tactician.

Mech sometimes would act like a Mr. Smarty-pants, but other times Mech acted like the rest of them. Most of all, Mech knew he wasn't perfect. When he made an obvious mistake, he would admit it. The sad part was that sometimes he would boast about them.

Not like Lancelot. Lancelot acted like he was a messenger of God. Scratch that, he acts like he is a God. Everything about him and around him had to be perfect. He had the perfect appearance, the 'perfect' intelligence, the 'perfect' attitude, the 'perfect' strategies. Perfect, perfect, perfect! It drove the average people insane.

Florina looked around at the people around her, spotting some of them looking behind them as if they were expecting something to attack them at any time and again noticed how different things became.

When Mech was around there was a lot of talking and laughter. People played pranks and while the victims were angry at first, they got over it and lasting friendships were formed.

Now that Lancelot was here, he wanted people to develop proper etiquette. The warm atmosphere transformed into something terse and rigid.

The difference could also be noted in comparison of the two tacticians.

Mech was easy to get along. While Florina was still going through her fear of men, so could usually get out a statement or two in Mech's face before running to hid behind someone. Now, Florina had to have Lyn, Fiora, and even Farina to speak for her to Lancelot.

Florina continued to watch the army, comparing the past to the present. Finally, she had enough.

"That's it!" Florina slammed her fist on the table.

Everyone jumped, both because of the suddenness of the action and the fact that it was Florina who did the action.

"We just threw out our compassionate tactician and for what? For arrogant and boastful jerk, that's what! Mech was with us since before the war with Nergel. He was the one who helped Lyn realize her heritage. That fool Lancelot has done nothing but show off. Should we just sit around and listen to his false boasting? Nay, bust we must rise up. We must overthrow this imposter and restore our true tactician to his rightful place!" Florina declared.

Everyone looked at her, stunned. No one thought the ability to make a speech was in her. Suddenly, those who agreed with Florina applauded.

"She's right! Mech was the one who hired me into this army. As part of the Illian Pegasus Knights, I will remain loyal to him!" Fiora declared.

"Oh, who cares about you're goody-goody morals?" Farina, on the other hand, sneered, "Mercenaries should only care about money, and right now, Lancelot is the one who's giving us our paychecks."

"How could you think about money at a time like this?" Lucius demanded, appalled by Farina's greed, "Besides, if it weren't for Mech, you wouldn't be in this army."

"But we are in this army. As such we need to find someone who can keep us alive and pay us at the same time," Dart reasoned, "That Mech lad may have been able to keep us alive, but Lancelot can do that and pay us more than that lad."

"And Lancelot's better looking and more fashionable," Serra put in dreamily.

"I suppose I would be on Mech's side," Erk contemplated, "Just so I can disagree with Serra about something."

"That is mean, _Erky_" Nino taunted, using Serra's pet name for him.

Erk was shocked, "Only a pink air head calls me that! I thought you had more intelligence than her."

"Yeah, only I can call him Erky!" Serra pouted. She missed the fact that Erk called her an air head. She opened up a Lightning Tome and fired a spell at Nino.

Nino dodged and opened up her Fire Tome. "Hate to break it to ya, sweetie, but Anima beats Light," Nino cooed in a very sweet voice as she cast her spell.

"Wait, why is it that when Mech and Lancelot cast their spells at each other, one spell wasn't advantageous against the other?" Lyn asked.

"They are tacticians. They find ways to neutralize the other," Canas hypothesized.

"All right! A fight!" Rebecca squealed. She picked up a fruit pie that was baked by Isadora, "FOOD FIGHT!"

The pie found its target on Wil's face. "Gah! You're going to get it now!" Wil shouted. He picked up a bowl of left over soup and threw it. It hit Raven as he was getting up to leave.

Raven reached for his Silver Sword only to remember that he left it at the entrance of the tent along with the other's weapons. He ripped a big chicken leg from a roasted chicken and used it to bash Wil in the face.

Soon everyone grabbed whatever they could get their hands on and used them as weapons and projectiles. The sides were split between those who wanted Mech back as their tactician and those who wanted to keep Lancelot as their tactician.

"This isn't going to solve anything," Canas sighed.

"Agreed. As in all things, in order to say that something is better, you must prove it in experimentations and experience. Lancelot proved he is the best in all areas," Pent announced.

"Why you ignorant student! Mech clearly outshines Lancelot," Canas argued.

Though not with swords, but rather with words, Canas and Pent began fighting over who was a better tactician like everyone else was doing.

"This is ridiculous…Everyone stop!" Eliwood ordered.

Immediately, everyone stopped what they were doing when Eliwood and Hector appeared. Time seemed to freeze since no one was making a move.

"Our apologizes Lord Eliwood. It just so happens that there is a disagreement between us about tacticians," Isadora explained.

"I see. Well, I bring glad tidings then. I plan on journeying off to find Mech and to plead with him to join us again," Eliwood announced, "Any who use to accompany please step outside."

With that announcement, Eliwood left the tent.

"I don't see why Eliwood makes a fuss over that boy," Hector grumbled, "We already have a tactician.

A moment passed in the tent, then around half the group left to meet with Eliwood. It was about time they got their tactician back.

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AN: Now for a long wait for Ch. 7. Good news is that this is longer than my trial run and other story. Well, please review so I know I can keep typing this story.


	7. The Call to Return

AN: THAT'S IT

AN: THAT'S IT! ENOUGH! I am now going to finish this story! I don't care about evil reviews anymore! This story hasn't been moving since… (begins counting, but goes blank)…well, in a long time. I actually got (kinda) motivated into doing this again when I got an e-mail telling me this story was on someone's favorite list. Out of curiosity (though that one would have been enough) I went to see who else favored this insane excuse of a story. So here we go again, and I'll try to be reasonable on the updates…maybe. If you want the stupid reason why I haven't done it, here it is:

Herald: Oh glorious lord! You have searched for me all these years, braving many dangers and hardships. You have my greatest gratitude for allowing me to return.

PL: Keep your mouth shut. I, the Chaos Lord, have spoken!

Herald: I thought it was Phoenix Lord?

PL: I changed it.

Herald: When has this come about?

PL: Shut up…

Herald: Before I do so, I must inform everyone of this fair land

Disclaimer: Phoenix Lord does not own Fire Emblem.

Ch. 7 The Call to Return

Miles away, in a little town, inside an old bar, sat a rather dejected person. He was once someone famous (in his mind, which counts a lot, I tell you!), but now he was tossed aside. Like a broken old junky radio being replaced by the latest brand spanking new LCD HDTV.

He took glass after glass of his drink and how he remained un-intoxicated remained a mystery to the occupants in the bar (if they looked closely, they would have seen that he was drinking un-alcoholic stuff.) He told his tale of woe to this who listened and complained to those who did not. Some were sympathetic, others didn't care.

Mech, former tactician of Eliwoood's Elites, was on his 384th drink, told his tale 173 times, and complained 276 times, when someone in a hood took a sit in front of him.

Mech gave the hooded one a look then grabbed his drink and scooted over a seat. The hooded one mirrored his move and sat in the next seat in front of him. Mech gave the hooded one an eviler look before getting up and moving to another table. The hooded one followed him and took another seat in front of him.

"I greet you, young master," the hooded one said.

"Ha, ha, ha," Mech said sarcastically as he took a gulp from his drink, "I'm not drunk, so you better find someone else to swindle."

"I do not jest nor do I seek to swindle you, young master," the hooded one answered.

Reaching into the robe, the hooded one pulled out an object that Mech identified as a family crest. When he saw whose family crest it belonged too, he spat out his drink into the hooded one's hood.

"Th-that…" Mech managed to get out as he tried to recover.

"Indeed. Your family misses you, young master," the hooded one replied. Then muttered, "That was my favorite hood, not to mention I had to have my face look presentable."

Mech, who overheard, muttered, "But you're not showing your face."

"Those snakes? Riiiiiight. I'd believe that if they sent a bunny to talk to me instead of a guy who dresses like a wannabe god of death," out loud, Teka scoffed at the notion of 'those snakes' missing him.

"Of course they do," the hooded one assured Mech, "Your alchemic skills are, of course, pathetic, but your tactical skills are superb. We heard that you guided only a group of 13 warriors against an entire nation."

"I thought Lyn kept my involvement of that incident under wraps," Mech whined.

"You know better than to underestimate the family's resources," the hooded one scoffed, "Back to the point, your family requires your skills in tactics in order to bring unity into the world."

"You mean 'take over the world'," Mech scoffed. He chugged the rest of his drink then got up and was heading toward the exit, "Tell them thanks for the invite, but I got other things to take care of."

"Young master, come back!" the hooded one called out.

Mech ignored him and was about to open the door, before the door burst open and knocked Mech out cold.

"Mech! Is your presence here?" a noble voice from the past called out.

Eliwood stepped into the bar in order to see if the rumors of a former tactician telling his tale of woe in a bar were about Mech.

"Mech?" a female voice, that of Lyn also called out.

She stepped forward and her foot came into contact with Mech's body. Looking down and seeing the motionless body, she let out a shriek.

"He's dead! Someone has killed our tactician!" she yelled.

Everyone crowded around the fallen body.

"Aw, Mech…our valued friend. For you to have fallen before your glory was made known. It is such a tragedy indeed," Sain intoned as the others either wept or bowed their heads in respect for their fallen comrade, "But we shall not allow your light to do out. We shall carry on your fight. One day, we shall make your name known throughout the land. So rest in peace, dear companion."

"I'm not dead, you know," came the muffled reply.

--

Herald: Thus the tale ends, yet it is not the end. Nay, it marks the rebirth of the Phoenix Lord. Dear citizens, rejoice!

PL: I thought I told you, my new name is CHAOS LORD! HAHAHAHAHA!

Herald: But sire, (points to the author's name) the document says your name has not changed since the last I attended to you.

PL: (waves hand) Minor technical details.

Herald: …


	8. Mid Road Search

Herald: Cannons are ready!

PL: Wait! I know it's been a long time, but don't you think you're overreacting?

Herald: Aim!

PL: Please! I'll be here more often! I'll be good! I'll give you a raise in pay! Just don't-

Herald: FIRE!

The following scene has been axed to inform you that Phoenix Lord does not own Fire Emblem.

Sign holder looks at the execution scene: Edit: More accurately, now, he did not.

---

The town that the army entered seemed a bit old, yet it was still inhabited. The army had gathered information that a valuable member lurked in that town. They marched into town hoping to find that member. Each team member was assigned an area to search for the missing person. They would rendezvous with each other periodically to hear news of their progress.

---

Hawkeye was assigned to monitor the square. Since the square was at the center of the town and Hawkeye was such a big guy, the team reasoned that it would be easy for their target to recognize Hawkeye where people gathered. So Hawkeye just stood there and stared. Over time, a mother and a child began a conversation nearby him.

"Mommy, mommy, look at the funny man!" the child giggled, "He isn't wearing any clothes."

"Now, now, dear," the mother hushed her child, "The poor man must have lost his family when he was but a boy. He may have grown up now, but his circumstances must have never allowed him to grow out of poverty. So even now he remains homeless, with little food to eat and no clothes to wear."

"Truly?" the child asked. The child looked at Hawkeye with pity in his eyes.

"Mommy, can we do something to help the poor man?" the child asked.

"Indeed we should," the mother agreed.

She dropped some money in the bucket that was beside Hawkeye.

"We should help those who are in need of assistance," the mother said.

"Yes, we should," the child agreed.

Throughout the conversation between mother and child, Hawkeye just stared.

---

Heath and Rath were together as they settled their mounts into a stable. Once their mounts were comfortable, Rath motioned for the caretaker.

"…?" Rath asked.

"…" the tender replied.

"…."

"…?"

"…. ….. ….."

"… …."

"…?"

"…"

"…News," Rath informed Heath.

"Wait, what?" Heath was confused.

---

Florina had bad experiences with being alone. Unfortunately for her, she found herself separated from her friend and older sister. Being a frightened lost young woman in the middle of town was not a good thing. This was especially apparent when one man approached her. As he approached her, his appearance did nothing to lessen Florina's fear of men.

"Greetings, young miss," the traveling merchant called out, "Have I got just the thing that will interest you! Right now, I hear that this perfume is wanted by many young ladies such as you. Normally, it costs 150 gold, but I am selling it for 75 gold."

Florina didn't hear what the merchant was saying, but only the thought that a man was speaking to her was registered in her head. She turned pale.

Seeing that Florina wasn't speaking, the merchant mistook the action as disinterest. He tried to sell her a different item.

"Does this luxurious cloth interest you? It should! This cloth comes from an exotic land. It is said that if it was sold by other vendors, they would price it at 1000 gold. I, on the other hand, am selling it for 825 gold. What say you?"

The man might as well be talking to thin air. Florina began to tremble.

Undeterred, the merchant tried a different item.

"All ladies love jewelry. And I have an intricate piece of art that I am willing to part with," the merchant began again.

Florina was on the verge of passing out, before the butt of a spear flashed out and hit the merchant in his face. The move was followed up with another blow that knocked the merchant flat on the ground.

"Leave my sister alone," Fiora threatened.

She took Florina by the arm and led her to where the others were supposed to meet. Seeing the unconscious merchant on the ground, nobody dared bother the two sisters.

---

The notice was put up just recently. A foreign man was wanted for harassing women. He would begin his conversations with a question regarding the whereabouts of someone. The conversation would quickly turn into flirting. The flirting would go as far as giving chase. The man was brown-haired and wore green armor and a bandana. If anyone knew the location of this man, they were to report to the authorities.

---

At the designated time, the team met each other at the square. Ninian and Nils were able to discover that Mech was indeed hiding out in this town and that he frequented a bar. Rath was able to find out which bar Mech was supposed to be at. Wallace was sort of able to locate the bar. Of course, with Wallace being Wallace, the group got lost a few times, and then other members of the team had to find directions. In time, they reached the designated bar.

Before entering the bar, Eliwood turned toward his group to give his preparation speech.

"Each person has a reason, and that reason is why we came here on this day," Eliwood began.

"Actually, I do not think we discussed of the purpose of why some individuals would join Mech," Wil whispered.

"But whatever the reason, our goal is the same," Eliwood continued, "We are here to ask Mech to become our tactician again. He was with us when our journey began, so it is only proper that he be with us when our journey ends. Let our courage be made known and let victory shine at the end. Onward, brave knights!"

For a while, everyone just stared at Eliwood.

Erk broke the silence, "Did that really require a speech?"

Eliwood coughed into his hand, and then turned toward the door. Flinging the doors open, Eliwood called out, "Mech! Is your presence here?"

---

Mech sat on the bed rubbing his aching head as he listened to what the others had been through to reach him.

"Now you see how dedicated to you we are," Eliwood said, "So, it is time to return you to your throne so that your authority may be restored and you can lead us to victory!"

"Wait, he has a throne?" Guy asked.

"Alright, it is now time to mutiny!" Wallace cheered.

"Yeah, mutiny!" Nils agreed.

"Wait, he'll have authority?" Guy asked again.

"Wait, since Mech was our original tactician, are we not, in fact, preserving the status quo. Is it not those who follow Lancelot the ones who mutiny?" Lowen pointed out.

"Then it's a mutiny mutiny!" Nils cheered again.

"The correct term would a counter mutiny," Canas informed Nils.

"Wait, is he royalty?" Guy asked again.

"What?" Mech asked back.

---

PL: That was evil…

Herald: It was justly handled. For you to be absent for so long, many have felt betrayed

PL: Still, water balloons and wet clothes…I hate those!

Herald: Perhaps it shall motivate you to be more present in your lands.

PL: Sigh…


End file.
